Selfish love
by Lovelywitch
Summary: A miniature Sasuke, a gorgeous and conspicuous miko from a mysterious country, a depressed Uchiha, plus amnesia, believe it, you got a love triangle. ItaKag, SasKag
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I solemnly swear that I don't own Inuyasha or Naruto, even Sasuke's Mangekyou or Itachi's cute ass, no, I mean sword, no…ahem... you got the picture =.=;

**Summary:** A miniature Sasuke, a gorgeous and conspicuous miko from a mysterious country, a depressed Uchiha, plus faceless husband, believe it, you got a love triangle.

_This I my first InuyashaNaruto crossover fanfic, so please go easy on me and do forgive the OOCness of it. I got the idea after reading Densetsuno Youko's _**The Final Illusion **_and_ moogledaime**' **s **Blue Sharingan**_. They are really good fics and I thought: 'What the heck? Why don't I write a story with a complete turn around and a happy (or ridiculous depends on you point of view) ending with a chibi Uchiha' and tadaa, here we got _**Selfish love**._ So thanks a lot, Densetsuno Youko & moogledaime. Please write more of your wonderful fics._

_Hope you guys enjoy it, and don't forget to review. Dig in ^.^_

* * *

Hands in pocket, Sasuke walked down the street of Konoha, listening to the bickering of Sai and Sakura together with Naruto's whinings. Five years had passed since he came back to Konohagakure and six years since he last saw Itachi, or his dead body to be precised. Even though he was closely monitored at first, as the last Uchiha alive, he was soon left off the hook. But it was not the case with his inner torments. Not a day had gone by without him vividly remembered the moment everything ended, along with its emotional package. The moment he killed his hated brother, in which, instead of the long awaited sensation of accomplishment and fulfillment, he was overcome by the feeling of lost and a strange emptiness in the place his heart was supposed to be located. Then, a maddening anger and heartbreaking regret filled in the void of his heart as the truth started to flow from one blasted Uchiha Madara's vile mouth. His despicable traitor of a brother, the notorious Uchiha Itachi, was in fact a loyal shinobi of Konoha. He had resented Itachi for bearing the burden all by himself, for not telling him the truth. But more than anything, he hated himself for letting Itachi's words blinded him, preventing him from realizing the truth. Perhaps he had know all along, somewhere in his heart must have known without a doubt that his beloved brother never did things unreasonably, that Itachi had always been his prodigious brother, who he looked up to and strived to please. However, that part was too tiny, too deep was it buried that he wasn't able to look beneath the underneath. It was what made his killing Itachi more unbearable, more unforgivable. How Sasuke wished he had been the one to die, how he berated himself for being well and alive. If it hadn't been for his friends' support, he sure would have lost his sanity a long time ago. But the question was how long could he keep going on like this before he snapped?

He was started out of his musing and had to look up to see what had stopped Naruto and the others. What greeted them was definitely not something anyone could have imagined: a young woman at her early twenties was holding a 5 years old boy's hand, listening to his inane chatting. In any other circumstance, this scene would be deemed normal, even if the stunningly beautiful woman could easily be passed for an Uchiha with her long silky raven hair. It was the boy who sparked their interest. He was, surprisingly, a miniature Sasuke. Even Sasuke had to take a moment to assure himself that he had not been drunk and sired a bastard son somewhere, what with that spiky black hair and the pale complexion the Uchihas were so renowned for.

"Hey, teme, is he…," Naruto began, only to be cut off mid sentenced by his best friend: "Of course not, dobe"

"But…"

"I don't know, don't ask me"

As the men stood there gawking (actually, Naruto was gaping, Sai was being his normal apathetic self while Sasuke looked on with an unreadable expression) and bickering like little children, their ever friendly teammate had approached the woman and struck up a conversation. Unconsciously, Sasuke strained to eavesdrop the conversation.

"Hello there, I'm Haruno Sakura. I haven't seen you two around, are you tourists?"

"It's nice to meet you. The name is Higurashi Kagome and this is my son, Higurashi Saki. I am actually here to see the Hokage but I'm afraid I'm a bit lost," she gave them a sheepish smile, not noticing how Naruto's mouth hang open, how Sakura suddenly took on a fish-out-of-water expression or how Sasuke's eyes slightly widened.

Son? She has a son? Just how old was she actually? Their minds all wondered the same thing and predictably, Naruto was the first one to shoot the big question:

"Woa, he is your son? Aren't you…uhm…. a bit too young to have a son his age?"

Her immediate response to the tactless question was a string of giggle:" Just how old do you think I am? No, don't answer that. I'm 23," their flabbergasted face sent her into another fit of laughter, "older than you think, ne? Don't worry, we get that question a lot, almost everywhere we went, we were asked at least once, sometimes twice by the same people."

"Oh, I see. Well then, let us lead you to Hokage's place," whether his boisterous and cheerful personality of Naruto was to help him bouncing right back after such shocking revelation or he was only the king of simplicity and still had not completely understood the bizarreness of the event, Sasuke really didn't want to know.

"Really, thank you so much," this time, she gave them a brilliant smile.

The smile she gave wasn't meant to seduce but, by all means, it did. That smile had woken up something in him, stirred up emotions that he had thought to be long lost. In that smile, he saw his happy childhood, the days full of light and laughter. Right at that moment, Sasuke realized that this woman will change his future, in which way he knew not. The only thing he was sure about was her smile, the smile he vowed to keep on her face, for reasons he didn't dare to look into. He knew he had been bewitched but strangely enough, he didn't care. Even the fact that she had a son, who was waling by her side and keeping a tight hold of her hand, didn't bother him as much as it should.

He only came out of his stupor when they entered the Godaime's office.

"Naruto, how many time must I tell you not to break my door and to stop calling obaa san before you listen, you brat???" Tsunade bellowed. She looked to the old team Kakashi as though she would continue with a long lecture so Sakura decided to interrupt:

"Shishou, this is Higurashi Kagome san. She said she needed to talk to you."

Surprised, Tsunade stopped mid-rant and took a closer look at Kagome, who had kept quiet until then.

"Greetings, Godaime sama. My name is Kagome Higurashi. I'm here on the behalf of my brother, the Nidaime of Tsukigakure," gasps were heard from the more knowledgeable shinobi, "our Kage wishes to form an alliance with Konohagakure and has sent this letter to you."

"Hey, teme, where exactly is Tsukigakure? I have never heard of it", Naruto whispered discreetly, obviously not wanting Tsunade and Sakura to hear his question. Unfortunately, lady luck wasn't on his side.

"Naruto, I've told you read the scroll about the different Hidden Villages, haven't I?" calmly asked the Hokage, a twitch on her left eyes, a tick mark on her right.

The calmer of the two (ultra violent) women just sighed and answered Naruto's question: "You should've done your homework, Naruto. Tsukigakure is located in the Western land and actually is the oldest of all Hidden Village. It was found in the Sengoku Jidai but there was little to no information on the how, what, why, when, who regarded it. What made this village famous is its flawless defense and power of its inhabitants. There has been no record of any successful infiltration into the land and the land is believed to be the homeland of every powerful clan you can think of: Hyuuga, Uchiha, Senju, Inuzuka, Aburame, etc... Anyone who leaves Tsukigakure is either unwilling or unable to spill their secret. That's why they were able to keep to themselves for half a millennium without any involvement with other hidden village"

"Exactly. One must wonder why Tsukigakure suddenly want to be Konoha's ally," Sasuke commented with a lifted tone at the end of his sentence, making the statement sounding more like a question.

"It seems that Tsukigakure is displeased with Akatsuki's meddling with the Bijuu affair. However, they are unwilling to directly deal with the matter so we become the second best option," answered Tsunade, who had finished reading the letter.

"And here it's also said that you and your son wish to be made Konohans temporarily? May I ask why?"

"Well, Saki has always been fascinated with Konoha's many Kekkai Genkai so when I decided to go on a long vacation, he kept insisting on coming here", Kagome replied easily, telling them the minimal part of the truth.

After some contemplation, the Hokage finally agreed. And so, the days of surprises, laughter, headaches and heartaches began.

xxx

It had been more or less three months since Kagome came into his life and Sasuke knew he had fallen for her, hard. There was no denying that it wasn't Naruto's loud mouth, Sakura's (not) quiet idolism nor was it any of the Rookie 9's camaraderie that had pulled Sasuke out of his depression. It was, without a doubt, the newcomers' presence. He found himself immersed in the long lost peace whenever she was nearby and wanted to smile whenever her twinkling laughter reached his ears. He found his eyes softened whenever he looked upon her figure. In her, he found the ideal woman, the caring mother for his future children, the perfectly feminine counterpart of his. He adored her, protected her to the point of obsession. So intense was his feeling and so focused on it that he completely failed to notice a certain blonde's concern.

Yes. Naruto had always been a carefree, childish shinobi, even after acquiring tremendous amount of power. Despite that, he had an uncanny talent for observation that hardly anyone noticed, anyone but Kagome. She had always been perceptive, easily saw through his smiling façade, no matter how short their bonding time had been. She tried to help, but how could he tell her that she was the cause (however indirect) of his problems. That sharp woman was always so dense, so blind when it came to her love life. She didn't notice those admired stares men on the streets threw at her, for God's sake. How could he tell her his best friend, the arrogant, pompous, starchy Uchiha was head over heels in love with her, even going as far as dismissing and avoiding any thing related to the topic of her husband. His best friend was lying to himself, deceiving himself that Saki's father had ceased to exist, changing the subject whenever Kagome started to talk about her beloved husband, turning a blind eyes to her radiant smile whenever the man was mentioned. And the gravest mistake of all, he fooled himself into thinking that he still had a change, despite all the evidence staring into his face. And she asked what made Naruto worry so much!

In the span of those 3 months, Kagome and Saki became the love of Konoha. The former was good friend with many kunoichi and matriarchs while the latter turned into the favourite student of many Jounin and ANBUs, meaning Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto, of course. Surprisingly, even Neiji took a liking to the mischievous kid. They had gained the trust of everyone, hence the commotion caused by the arrival of a letter from Tsukigakure.

It was a fine day and Kagome was watching Saki training with the old Rookie 9 when out of nowhere, Shizune came with the request that she met the Godaime at Hokage tower, immediately. So, with a sinking feeling, Kagome hurriedly took Saki and ran to the office. Stepping through the door, the first thing came out of her was a gasp of surprise:

"Shippo!!!"

A young man with long auburn hair tied in a black ribbon quickly turned around and pulled the woman of Sasuke's dream into a tight hug, much to his jealousy. The fact that he was unnaturally handsome didn't help.

"Kagome nee-chan! I'm so relived that you're safe and sound"

"What's wrong? Is something happened at home? Has anyone been hurt?"

"Nee-chan, you must stay calm. Itachi nii-sama was ambushed and is in mortal danger," Shippo tentatively announced, not paying any heed to the bomb he had just dropped.

Had he just said what they thought they heard? Was Kagome's husband really Itachi? The _Itachi_? Konoha's Itachi? Itachi was a common name, right? Not at all. But, this was impossible. Uchiha Itachi was dead. At least that what they all assumed, they weren't so sure anymore. Their confusion was cut short as their attentions were directed elsewhere, courtesy of Saki's frantic exclaim:

"You're pulling my leg, again, Shippo oji san! There is no way a mere ambush could take down father. He is Higurashi Itachi , the strongest shinobi in our country. No, I don't believe you," he was on the brink of tears now, reminded the adults that though he might be much smarter, more composed than kids his age, he was still a kid at heart. Nevertheless, his outburst did help put their mind at ease, somewhat. Especially Sasuke. The name Higurashi Itachi still left a bitter taste in his mouth but it was better, less haunting than Uchiha Itachi. It made him want to smile at the irony: 3 months ago, he would have definitely fallen into depression at the mere mention of his brother's name, but now, he felt jealous. It was just like old time, with only one difference: Itachi was dead.

He was pulled back to reality when Kagome's stoic voice reached his ears, sounding nothing like her usually cheerful self:

"Higurashi Saki, pull yourself together. Remember all our teachings. Now go and pack your bag, we're leaving in half an hour," her eyes softened when she saw her son tried to clean his tears," don't worry, honey, that man is as stubborn as a mule. He won't leave us behind for something so trivial."

Reassured by his mother words, Saki quickly teleported himself out of the office, undoubtedly back to the inn. Nodding her head to a two tailed cat sitting in a corner (making many of the blissfully unaware noticed her), she gave a subtle order for the silent shadow to follow the boy. Turning to her (supposedly) brother, who looked nothing like Kagome, she calmly asked for the details, apparently ignored everyone else.

"Nii-sama was on his way back from a successful solo mission so it was awhile before we found him fatally injured. The medics are trying their best, but it seems they only manage to keep him alive. From what we've gathered, there was a battle but…"

"How many corpses did you find?"

"About a fifty," as her raised eyebrow and the others' shocked expression, he hastily continued, "yeah, I know that number is nothing," a fifty shinobi is nothing? They had to be talking about gennin,… right? "but I have my suspicion, it seemed that…_he _is behind this"

Understanding started to dawn on Kagome's face: "So what did aniki say?"

"Sesshoumaru sama wanted his sister and nephew back home, as your location is probably discovered," turning to Tsunade, he continued, "and he also requested that a capable team is dispatched to escort Kagome chan and Saki, Hokage sama."

"Very well," Tsunade quickly agreed," I will send Naruto, Neiji, Sakura and Sasuke to escort Kagome san to Tsukigakure. However, I must request that they're allowed to stay in the village for a few days. After all, we can't say that we are ally with a village that we know next to nothing about."

"If that is what you wish," they thought they saw a ferocious grin and a cold calculating glint on Shippo's face," then we will grant them permission to stay. However, there are certain rules that are expected to be followed, if they failed to do so…"

He left his sentence hang threateningly then turned on his heels to go after Kagome, who had long since left unnoticed, due to all the attention focused on Shippo. After he was out of the door, Tsunade said to the team:

"You heard what I said. This mission is not only about protecting Kagome but also to find out as much as possible about Tsukigakure. Don't let your emotion involved", Sasuke bristled as she looked at him when saying that," or we might have to go to war with Tsukigakure, and frankly speaking, according to the old documents and what we've known about them, we won't stand a chance against them."

With that said, every occupant started to vacate the room. Four of them rushed to prepare for a long journey while the rest scattered about to find a suitable parting gift. And so, half an hour later, after much heart wrenching sobs from the women and tons of toys, souvenirs for the foreigners, the entourage was finally on their way. Since flying meant leaving the shinobi behind and totally abandoning altogether the idea of escorts, Kagome let Kirara brought the presents back while the three from Tsukigakure led the shinobi back to their home. The two tailed kitty had transformed into the size of a tiger and effectively gave the shinobi and kunoichi present a scare and quite clear a warning. And so they set out for a journey full of big surprises for the shinobi!

First, Neiji and Sasuke, with Byakugan and Sharigan wide opened, confirmed that neither Kagome nor Shippo used any type of chakra, yet they were able to run ahead of the elite ninjas without breaking a sweat. They didn't stop to rest, not until the sun had set and Sakura looked like she was ready to drop dead any moment. That night passed too quickly and the next day, they set out at dawn and going non-stop till dust. With the speed they were going at, it was no wonder that they covered far much more distance than the ninjas had ever done in s short the span of time. The third day was pretty much the same, except that the party stopped at noon, right in front of a dense forest in the far West. In fact, it was so dense that they couldn't see pass the first rows. After four ninjas had regained their trength, Kagome said in a serious tone:

"From this point on, you have to stick with us. This forest is one of mayny stops to eliminate those came to our village," her pause was getting unnerving, "uninvited"

Surely the smirk they had seen on her face in a brief moment was just their imagination, right? They were started to question how much they actually knew about the mysterious Kagome and her son, considered the following events after that.

Since neither of them was familiar with the area, the shinobi could do nothing but follow their guide's instruction and stayed on guard. Soon after they stepped into the unnaturally dark forest, they were attacked by the most unexpected enemies: the trees. Really, there must be a law somewhere stating that it's illegal for trees to attack human beings. Apparently, normal nature definitions didn't apply for this particular forest. It was even more vexing when they were having a hard time dealing with this phenomenon, but Kagome, Saki and Shippo deflected all the attacks easily, seemingly without efforts. To the shinobi, hours had passed but in fact, barely five minutes had gone by when Kagome decided that they didn't have time fooling around with the forest guard and created a pink barrier using some kind of pink chakra over all of them, giving the shinobi time to gawk (again) at her slowly revealed abilities. Then, with a clear voice intended to be carried over to quite a distance, Kagome said in an icy tone that was nothing like the Kagome they knew and loved:

"Guardians of Sleeping forest, this Kagome wishes to go through this forest, do not stand in my way."

To the shinobi's astonishment, the trees stopped their attacks immediately and the entire party continued on toward their destination. They became more and more curious when the same things happened several times after that, in the same order: they were attacked, Kagome told the attackers her name, the attacks stopped, and they passed easily. Be it a pack of giant wolves, a village of fighter (who possessed skills and experiences on par with Jounin and ANBU, without any use of chakra) or a dragon's massive jaw, they were let go just as the mere mention of the name Kagome. Just who exactly was Kagome Higurashi? Even if she was the little sister of the mysterious hidden village leader, she couldn't have earned that much respect. But this was not the time to contemplate about one woman, even if she possessed an exotic look and the most captivating eyes and… Well, you get the picture!

So immersed in his thought, Sasuke didn't even notice that they had followed Shippo's lead into a cave. He was startled out his thought when seven of them came to a dead end. There was nothing there, save for two gigantic stone statues of some god. The ninja didn't pay the statues any mind, being more focus on Shippo's smirk, instantly sensed that something was going to throw them off guard. Well, at least that was the case, until the statues suddenly came to life and pointed their equally impressing weapon at the travelers. Standing in front of two frightening, enormous, _unmoving _statues was one thing but having those statues came to life and seemed as though they were ready to charge was a totally different matter. However, the ninja had relearned something from all the previous encounters: never attacking before asking question (or in this case, being asked question).

"You all must have great strength and quick wits to have passed through the outskirt of the West safely. However, unless you state your business and pass through the stone guardians, you will never see your destination," Sakura read out loud the words on a nearby stone board, making eyebrows raised at the part about great strengths and quick wits. Unconsciously, they all looked at Kagome.

"Gozu, Mezu, let us pass. This is Miko Kagome, sister of Lord Sesshoumaru of the West and her escort. We do not have time dallying around," Kagome said to the statues in a stern voice.

Even though they had expected this, it was still astonishing to see the two statues stepped back, bowed low to Kagome then opened a door that neither of the four had noticed. And then, even the ever stoic Hyuuga and Uchiha had their eyes wide open at the scenery before their eyes: white mist covered what could only be assumed as a vast nothingness, an eerie silence ghosted over the unaware. Compared to the dense forest, the rocky mountain, the fire and that unbecomingly dangerous village, this was like a graveyard. It probably was. Nevertheless, Kagome, Shippo and Saki didn't miss a beat, they went straight into the mist like they had known the way by heart. Soon after that, in front of them laid an enormous skeleton. Wordlessly, Kagome drew an arch in thin air, using a sword given to her by Shippo. There was something off about the sword, it had glowed gently, so subtly the whole time that no one had paid any attention to it. And out of nowhere, a black hole appeared and became larger to the size of a door.

"Don't be alarmed, this is a portal to Tsukigakure, hurry up and go through, or we won't be responsible for leaving you behind!" Shippo said.

"If you were able to open a portal, why not did it from Konoha?" trust Neiji to get to the bottom line in one sentence.

"A portal to our village can only be opened from this point on, depend on the maker's strength. Be grateful that you have Kagome, second only to our Kage in the art of portal making, else you would have to go through countless challenge like the ones before"

Well, they had come this far, there was no reason to turn back now, is there? And by the look of it, Sasuke didn't even have to make a decision for Naruto had cheerfully (and dumbly) run straight into the portal without any hesitation.

"Well, the kid has guts, I knew that I'd like him very much," Shippo smirked.

Going after Naruto, the others soon arrived at a meadow. Running for miles, they then came to the sight of a splendid fortress, surrounding by a prosperous town. It looked as though it was made of white marble, a true pleasure palace if not for its high towers and crazy number of guards. Bursting through the outer gate, Kagome's speed increased then came to a halt in front of an elegant manor decorating with a bow and arrows emblem. She walked briskly through the hallway, navigated her way to what looked like a bed chamber, completely ignoring the chaos surrounded her. Then, out came a woman with raven hair that grew to her knees, whose born great resemblance to the woman of Sasuke's dream. A relative, perhaps. She said in a frantic voice:

"Quick, Kagome chan, the blood loss and miasma had caught up to him. At this rate, he might go comatose."

Having forgotten her guests, Kagome swiftly went inside. When Sasuke made a move to follow her, Kagome's dopplerganger smoothly stepped in his way:

"I'm sorry, but only the maids and Saki kun are allowed to go in there, unless Kagome chan or Itachi san said otherwise." She was smiling but her eyes held a promise of bodily harm should any of them took a step into the room without permission.

The four looked at each other, finding themselves out of place with nothing to do amidst these people. Then, true to his reputation as Konoha's number one prankster, Naruto spotted an open window and beckoned them over. That woman did say they couldn't go inside but didn't say anything about not peeking, after all…

Even though it is beneath an Uchiha (and a Hyuuga) to spy on others, the four found themselves using every ounce of their stealth to take a look inside. The canopy veiled the couple from their view, only their silhouettes were seen. Kagome was kneeling on the bed side, palms hovering over her husband's stomach. Her hands glowed a strangely pink colour, and then a ball of energy slowly flew from her hand to the man's body. All of a sudden, the glow died out and Kagome collapsed onto the bed. Sakura's hands flew to her mouth in an attempt to still a gasp and Naruto looked ready to barge into the room, regardless of warnings. However, to their amazement, the other occupant of the room, who up until then was unconscious, slowly sat up on his elbows (shirtless!!!) and called out in a hoarse voice:

"Kikyo san, please come in!" hearing her name, the woman from before stepped inside, "Kagome overexerted herself again and is bound to get hungry when she wakes up, so please prepare some snack. And also bring Saki here when you're at it. He is trying to be brave and pacing in front of the door now, I'd wage," a glance confirmed that it was true, father really did know best. "It's funny how he had my look and Kagome's personality," he ended with a chuckle that sounded strangely familiar, at least to Sasuke. "Oh, and do bring our guest in here as well as go ask the maids to prepare sleeping quarters for them, I believe they are quite smitten with my wife and will not leave until her well being is confirmed, no?" The two of them were looking at four eavesdroppers by the end of his sentence. It once again proved that even (seemingly) normal civilians in Tsukigakure could be dangerously sharp, much to the four's chagrin.

Smiling rather devilishly at them, Kikyo showed the Konohans into the chamber, where they were still separated from the patriarch by a curtain, hence they couldn't see his face. Regardless, they all could discern that this man was no one to be stifled with. His voice, his posture, his presence had danger written in capital all over. He was a fighter with strength obviously of ANBU level and though he didn't express any malice or hostility, he pressured them into not letting their guard down.

"Thank you for escorting Kagome and Saki home. Please think of this manor at your home for the time being. Tomorrow I will have Shippo take you to see our Kage. I'm afraid we can't have a proper conversation at the moment since both of us need our rest after this ordeal, but hopefully, after a week or so, we can give you a proper welcome. Now please follow Kikyo san, she will explain everything and answer any question you may have," with that said, he dismissed them entirely with a lordly wave of his hand. The action irked them more than slightly, but there was nothing they could do. After all, the Higurashis were the only people they were familiar with in this strange territory.

Following Kikyo out of the room, Sasuke glanced behind him through the closing door one last time only to see that man, no, _Itachi_, tenderly picked Kagome up and put her under the cover then slowly pulled up the curtain. Just at he was about to have the first glimpse of the man's face, the door closed. Damn it!

Smiling secretive to herself, Kikyo said in an amused voice: "You all will meet Itachi san sooner or later, he is the patriarch, after all. Feel free to look around but please refrain from going near the West wing, Kagome doesn't like anyone go in the family's private area. If you break this only rule, you will feel quite unwelcoming in Higurashi household, and trust me, that's mean you will no longer be welcome in Tsukigakure, as you probably have noticed. If you need anything, just ask the maids and servants, they are around every corner. And these are your rooms, I hope you enjoy your stay here."

Giving the four a proper bow of a true lady, Kikyo left them. Waiting for her to be out of earshot, Naruto let out a heavy sigh:" Man, this place is weird. The people here seem creepily aware of anything and everything that move"

That was a childish complaint, but it was true nonetheless. However, the proud Uchiha wasn't about to admit it, not in this lifetime nor the next for that matter. Naruto's next comment caught his attention, though.

"But I have a nostalgic feeling, no, it's more like Kyuubi's, just the kind of homecoming's emotions. These land, this village, somehow they are all very familiar, like I've been here, a long time ago…"

Well, that's another thing Sasuke didn't want to agree with his friend. He, too, felt something akin to a calling, deep in his blood, to return home. Could it be that the legends had told the truth? That the Uchiha, Hyuuga, etc… had really come from Tsukigakure? But then, how come he didn't find anything worthwhile in the clan's library or his ancestors' note? And shouldn't their Nidaime, who was still the one running this 400 years old village, be long dead? Ah, no use dwelling on that, they just had to gather as much information as possible in their stay here. A look to Neiji showed that the Hyuuga prodigy had arrived at the same conclusion as his. And so, after much discussion, they all agreed that the next day, Naruto and Neiji would go into the marketplace to learn more about this mysterious village while Sasuke and Sakura (who still made him somewhat wary) would try to listen for any news regarded one Higurashi Kagome and her faceless husband. They would switch duty everyday so as not to draw any unneeded attention. Then, with everything said and done, each went to their respective room and took their well deserved rest, prepared for .

**

* * *

So, this is the first chap. Read and review and tell me what you think, k?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** A miniature Sasuke, a gorgeous and conspicuous miko from a mysterious country, a depressed Uchiha, plus amnesia, believe it, you got a love triangle.

_This story is being categorized as crossover, but the funny thing is I didn't know how to find it (other than using the search engine .). I went into both the Inuyasha achieve and Naruto achieve, then Mics, then community, etc… totally missing the Crossover section in Inuyasha (and Naruto) achieve. I almost wrote a PM to ask some of my reviewers how to find _my _story. Really, it might become the joke of the day if I really did that…_

_I agree with demonpriestess5011, it sucks to be Sasuke =.=; The "faceless husband" obviously was Itachi, all that is left for discussion is whether he recognized the Konoha bunch or not. But you must read to find out, can't spill the secret yet, neh ^^ _

The following days, highly motivated, the two teams each went on their way to carry out their mission. They were able to gather quite a lot of information, as well as encountered some really interesting Tsukigakure inhabitants, though some missing details prevented them from piecing everything together for sensibility sake and when accompanied by a premonition of bad omen, it frustrated Sasuke to no end.

xxx

The first day went by pretty much uneventful with Sasuke and Sakura. They only knew that Kagome was fine and resting with her Itachi. Everything in the household was run by that Kikyo woman whom was just as mysterious as the Higurashi matriarch. The servants and maids had been keeping their gossips to the minimum and disappointingly unforthcoming with anything concerned their employers.

Fortunately, Naruto and Neiji had more luck in talking with the local merchants (after buying tons of weapons and souvenirs and such). According to what they had heard so far, the legends apparently were telling the truth. This village came all the way back to Sengoku Jidai and had never been (unwillingly) involved in any war. However, what baffled them the most was an outrageous event that had nothing to do with the legends and everything to do with the peculiarity of this village.

They were walking around in the marketplace with no luck whatsoever in getting any useful information when a child ran up to them. Strangely enough, instead of normal human ears, on the top of her head laid two fox ears, which looked unnaturally realistic. She gave Naruto a bunch of flowers and a toothy grin: "Welcome to Tsukigakure, onii san."

Then a woman gracefully strode to their place, gently admonished the little girl: "you shouldn't have run off like that. And don't bother unfamiliar men."

"But he is a kitsune, mama, he will like those flower, just like papa."

The girl's innocent reply stupefied the two. Had hell frozen over for there was no way, and they meant no possible way, a normal, sane civilian (lest alone a girl) dared to approach a jinchukiri on her own. That and the fact that she knew what he was at first glance was extremely alarming. Just what kind of a village is this? Right at that moment, a familiar figure quickly walked towards two flabbergasted shinobi, happily called out their names: "Naruto, Neiji!!!"

Seeing Shippo, the little girl's eyes brightened considerately: "Papa!"

Smirking proudly, the mischievous man tenderly picked up his daughter: "You have given your mother quite a hard time, didn't you, kit?"

Giving him the puppy eyes, she whined: "I only gave that man a bunch of flowers. He is a kitsune; he'd love it, like you, right?"

"Not every kind of kitsune love flowers and he isn't exactly one"

"Darling…," the woman began hesitantly, intending to stop her husband.

"Don't worry, Shiori chan, Sesshoumaru sama agreed to let these shinobi know _some _of the facts about our village," obviously, the _some _part was deliberately stressed, "This is one of those," he smiled reassuringly at her, paying no heed to the confusion apparent on their guests' face.

The day was getting more and more bizarre. It was even creepier when ears, wings and tails, even horns, suddenly grew everywhere on the head of the people around them, right after Shippo's explanation. Seeing that everyone went on with business nonchalantly and judging from the conversation that they had just heard, the shinobi realized that whatever appearance the civilians had let them see until then was just some really advanced genjutsu. Looking around them then, they saw hairs with various colors, beings with appearance more like animals than human and weapons that no normal human (and a majority of ninja) could not possibly wield (like a huge boomerang, for example).

"What's the meaning of this? What are they? What are _you_?" trusted Naruto to be the master of the "ask first, think later" tactic.

Smirking rather devilishly at them, Shippo made a gesture like a performer about to show his best trick: "Isn't that obvious? We are not normal human, you should have realized that much. Our village is the only place you can find real youkai, hanyou, taijiya, miko and houshi."

"What do mean youkai? Aren't the bijuu the last youkai to walk this plane?" Neiji questioned, ever the cynic.

"The bijuu are only the enraged youkai who had been provoked or controlled somehow by human," a knowing glance was thrown to Naruto ,"or too stupid and far gone in their youkai state that they lost their logical thinking. Human has become ignorant if they think that real youkai was all like the bijuu," Shippo snorted.

"So Kagome is a youkai, too" Naruto tentatively asked, already worried for Sasuke.

"Well, nee chan is special. One can say that she is a miko but it's not completely wrong to say she is youkai. I wonder why," smirking rather challenging at the two, he pivoted with his daughter in his arms, the silver haired woman by his side.

"Oh, and before I forgot, our Kage wishes to see you four tomorrow morning and I will take you to his office. Please make yourselves presentable."

Knowing there was nothing else they could find there, Naruto and Neiji wearily went back to the Higurashi manor, telling the other two what they had found.

xxx

The next morning came too quickly for some. The bird was chirping noisily in total contrast to those occupied the dining room. They couldn't help but feel anxious and quite curious, not knowing what to expect of the mysterious and no doubt powerful leader. In addition, Kagome was nowhere to be found while Itachi was said to have gone back to training in the palace's dojo.

Naruto looked around: Sakura was constantly tugging on her clothes, Neiji had a pensive look on his face while Sasuke looked like he was daydreaming. Yeah, right, when hell had frozen over. But the Uchiha was actually having a faraway look, no doubt thinking about the one and only Kagome. Naruto couldn't help but heave a sign. In this unfamiliar land, they couldn't afford to lose concentration and fantasizing about another man's wife was hardly the most righteous thing to do, under any circumstance. It didn't help that the aforementioned man bore the taboo name, Itachi. What if they were the same person? After all, no one had ever managed to retrieve Itachi's dead body, so the possibility was still there. Nah, as much an arrogant, selfish jerk his best friend had been, he had done nowhere near enough misdeeds to receive such irony, hadn't he? Naruto wasn't so sure, in Tsukigakure, anything could happen, he had learned. But that worrisome thought wasn't his priority at the moment, so he put it in the back of his mind, ignoring the gut wrenching feeling in his stomach. If only he had listened to his instinct…

All of that musing was in the morning. Now, at they stood in the Kage office, the sun had risen over their head, or so they guessed. Although at that moment, time was the farthest thing from everyone's mind. In front of them stood a man, no, a being with the power of god. Technically, the devil maybe nearer to the truth since it was obvious that this creature was some sort of youkai, what with his silver hair, pointed ears, deadly claws and the otherworldly grace that demanded the utmost respect. If the presence of Kagome's husband had made them stay on their guard and prepare to defense should he attack then this youkai's aura pretty much crushed their fighting spirit. Even Kyuubi cowered before this power, or more like this being, since the fox seemed to recognize the Nidaime of Tsukigakure, Naruto noted curiously. This was turning out to be one intriguing meeting. The Kage took one look and dismissed Sakura, deeming her no threat. A raised eyebrow at Neiji, but other than that, nothing was said. He had stared intensely at Naruto and said "Interesting company you got!" The hidden meaning was so subtle that if it hadn't been for the knowing glance thrown his way, Naruto wouldn't have noticed. Curiously enough (or maybe not, depending on one's view), Sesshoumaru had paid extra attention to Sasuke. A tilt of his mouth made up a sarcastic smirk.

"It's never ceased to amaze this Sesshoumaru that the Uchiha men are always the ones notice and dare to reach for the most precious but dangerous jewel. However, boy, you are still bound by the invisible chains human created to tie their own hands, still too wrap up in your own head that you do not have what it take to get what you want. Pitiful!"

Sasuke had immediately demanded an explanation in strained politeness, unsuccessfully, of course. Then, everyone went on to discuss the term of the alliance, the rules that they were expected to followed, the length they could go to obtain information, etc… nothing out of ordinary. Nevertheless, when they were leaving, Naruto was certain that he had caught a faint whisper that sounded suspiciously like :"just like his brother" It worried him immensely, for it once again brought back his earlier doubts. But as the other three didn't hear anything, it might have been his imagination, Naruto fervently hoped.

xxx

A week later, they had been able to gather enough information to understand the overall history of Tsukigakure. According to the books in Higurashi library and some of the friendlier, unassuming old folks, centuries ago, there was a time called the Dark Age. The country was plagued by an evil force. Strengthened by some mystic artifact, the evil continued to terrorize the land and its inhabitants, until one day, a group of fighters bravely stood up to him. They fought courageously and triumphed over the devil then each went on their own way to create legends. There had been stories about a tragic love between an inu hanyou and a miko, a heart wrenching story about siblings love between two taijiya, the long standing rivalry between two inu brothers, the fearsome monk said to be able to vanquished hundreds youkai without any ofuda or weapon, the joining of two powerful warriors that made up a prestigious clan, the adventures of a young fox, etc… However, they were all connected through one miko and after ten years, they gathered around her once again to create Tsukigakure, a place where no civil conflict had ever occurred. The ninja found the legend hard to believe, although it might contain some fact. They suspected that this so call history had been idealized somehow since an ever peaceful land was the definition of utopia, in their minds.

"You know, I think these legends mean to tell us that there had been a great war once and the founders of this village were those emerged victorious from it. They reunited the country and have been keeping a tight reign on their people ever since to prevent another great war like the last and all rebellions was squashed before having any chance to grow into a civil war. Their contributions were so great that the people began to weave stories and legends around them. That's the only logical explanation," wisely intone Sakura.

The other three agreed with her, though their concerns lay not in the legends and its past protagonists but in the present and the upcoming festival. The other day, Shippo had told them that to celebrate the foundation of Tsukigakure and to show their gratitude to the great founders (a strange smirk had appeared on his face then), the villagers had decided on their own (he snickered at this) to made September the month of festivals. Through out the whole month, many activities would be held, from martial art tournaments to masked dancing night, from formal ceremonies to bustling streets with many shops only opened at this time of the year. Sakura was thrilled about the opening of that many special shops while the men' main interests lain with the tournaments. According to what they had heard, whoever won the tournament would be able to present a crown made of flowers to the one girl he loved (Sakura was really looking forward to this, as were many other girls). Since their girls were back at Konoha, Naruto and Neiji didn't care much for the reward (although they might ask Shippo for someway to send the crown back home), they were more interested in participating for the chance to fight some worthy opponent and gauging the potentials of this village. The most determined to win this tournament, however, was Sasuke. He had heard the maids whispered to one another that their master was going to participate and would definitely win another crown for their lady. Sasuke couldn't help but envisaged what would happen should he beat her husband, the Itachi, and give her the crown. No matter how powerful the Higurashi was, Itachi Higurashi wouldn't be able to do anything if Kagome fell in love and left him for Sasuke. He wouldn't be able to stop her, she was the Nidaime's little sister, after all. The incident would make a delicious scandal, one would eventually leave his name in the book and get him his dream girl. At this moment, Sasuke was passed caring for the consequences of his action and obsession. The close proximity and the long days with just glimpses of Kagome and some short conversations with her only served to strengthen his yearning for the woman to the point of not concerning himself with the possibility of a war with Tsukigakure. So sure of his skills, so enamored with the ideal future he imagined, Sasuke didn't even stop to consider the probability of Itachi was not the one originally carry the surname of Higurashi. If he had, he would have gained another insight to the web of hidden truths that was the Higurashi clan and the nature of the bond between their patriarch and matriarch. If he had, he could have caught on to Naruto's earlier worry, but alas, he hadn't. If only he had,…

xxx

Finally, here came the first day of September. Morning had come to see the Higurashi household in an organized chaos. Servants and maids ran around doing their assigned chores, the chief and cooks outdid themselves with tons of delicious food, splendid even by Uchiha standard. The day before, the house had been swarmed by seamstresses and shopkeepers trying to persuade the lords and ladies of the house, as well as their guests, to wear and use their products. It seemed whatever the Higurashi, or at least lord Shippo Higurashi , used became the fashion of the year. The street outside was in the same state, only less organized. The adults frantically ran about, applying the last touch to ready their shops for the festival started from that night, children restlessly waited for the opening ceremony, wearing their best kimono and other traditional clothes. Many people had come to the village for this festival. The shinobi had met many interesting people, one of which was the Kage's younger half brother and Kikyou's husband, Inu Yasha. He was a gruff and loud mouthed inu hanyou who seemed to have a special bond with Shippo so it was really a wonder he got along well with Naruto, they were both too loud mouthed for either the Hyuuga or the Uchiha's taste. Then there was Kouga who was introduced as a dear friend of the Higurashis and that his clan was one of the founders of Tsukigakure. Much to Sasuke's annoyance, this youkai kept calling Kagome his woman, but no one did anything about it (with the exception of Inu Yasha that is).

Some of the houses, unused at other times of the year was now filled with people from other parts of the country. One house in particular had caught their eyes: the house with the insignia of a boomerang crossed with a staff. This house, a week or so before the festival, became crowded with people wearing the same clothes at those resided in that village which gave them one hell of a time when they first came to this country. They all either wore taijiya clothes, a skin tight black suit with different colors, or tradition monk's clothes. Another intriguing house was the one that bore the emblem of a claw, which became full of wolves, and strangely enough, not the normal one but the giant wolves they had seen on their way here.

Night came to Tsukigakure. Unlike the morning, every noise had subsided in anticipation. The streets were all well-lit with rows of lantern and some kinds of multi-coloured fire. Even the children kept quite, sat still waiting for the appearance of their beloved leaders. The four Konoha nins were also in their formal clothes, the men in their black haori while Sakura had donned her pink kimono. They were impressed to see that in spite of the festivities going on, the security was just as tight as normal, if not more. Tonight, the only indication of a festival going on was that the guards, still fully armed, had taken the liberty to wear colored uniform with their clan's insignias.

Suddenly, the crowd parted, give way to Sesshoumaru and his entourage. For this night, the Nidaime of Tsukigakure had taken upon himself to wear clothes that looked exactly like he did in Sengoku Jidai, but the shinobi didn't need to know that. The youkai glowered with an ancient power, looked every part like a feudal lord. With simple words and a monotonous voice no louder than normal, he gave the permission for the festival to start. Even if the way he dressed, his stance, the respect he received from his people could gave an insight to the Nidaime's characters and powers, it was apparent that Sasuke was bewitched, not by the ruthless leader, of course, but by his sister. For tonight, Kagome had decided to wear her green and white miko garb, with her hair in a low pony tail tied by a red ribbon. She was the image of tranquility, peace and elegance, once again reminded Sasuke that in this country, Kagome was considered royalty. Her easygoing nature and that unassuming attitude had led everyone to dismiss the notion but now, more than ever, when the Uchiha had seen her grace, her nobility and her qualities of a gently bred lady, no one else would ever be worthy to stand by his side and he would make sure that no one would hers. After all, what an Uchiha wants, he gets, right?

After the opening ceremony, everyone really got into the festive atmosphere. Fireworks, games, presents, foods, etc… anything that made up a festival could be found there. It was hard to get Kagome alone to talk, what with the throngs of people waiting to pay her respect and seek her advices, or simply just to bask in her presence and receive her blessings, but the ninjas managed. However, hardly did their conversation last more than fifteen minutes when Kagome was called away by her husband. Anxious and determined to prove once and for all that Itachi Higurashi wasn't his brother and was a worthy opponent in the race for Kagome's heart, Sasuke followed her discreetly in order to catch a glimpse of the luckiest man in the world, in his opinion. Unfortunately, Shippo coincidentally (or maybe not) chose that exact moment to come and have some idle chit chat with the Konohans, effectively held them off. When he finished, Kagome was nowhere to be seen. So concentrated on glaring at the kitsune, Sasuke missed what the others didn't: ravenous hair, pale skin, deep worry line and of course, the unmistakable Sharigan. But that was just impossible, right? That man should have been dead. It had to be their nerves and the genjutsu that had driven them crazy, for there was no way Itachi could be well and alive, and _smiling_ like that. The three took a moment to glance at one another and when they looked up, the Itachi look alike had gone, just like a fragment of imagination. They didn't dare to alert Sasuke, instead scanning the crowd for the familiar face, to no avail. By the end of the night, they had successfully willed themselves to believe that they were just tired and coincidently saw one similar image. Yep, nothing to be worry over so there was no need to tell Sasuke, hopefully…

xxx

Three days after the opening night saw the beginning of the tournament. This was one of the main events of the festival so everyone participated had to defeat their opponent without killing him. In additional, to prevent later hostilities and be fair, each contestant was to wear a mask to conceal his identity. Everyone's name but the winner's would only be known to the committee and the matches order was decided by drawing number. For the last four hundred years, everything had worked well this way with only minor problems. And so, the tournament continued to be held in the same way this year, although it ended far from peacefully…

Just as expected, they met many strong opponents with spectacular power. Instead of chakra, fighters in this country use other kinds of energy: reiki, youki, miko ki or pure physical strength as well as monstrously huge weapons. Some of them used huge boomerang, some had formidable swordsmanship while others showed impressive controls of natural elements: water, fire, lighting, plants, etc... There were also masters of illusion participated in the tournament. Naruto was able to last until the quarter final round, but then he was beaten by some guy who used fire and illusion while that guy lost to another who controlled plant. Neiji was also disqualified for the semi final, lost to some one who was extraordinarily skilled with his katana and had speed that put Lee to shame. Sakura did well to defend herself against a man with impressive taijutsu and another one of those huge boomerangs (personally, the guys thought she blew her top when the opponent asked her to bear his child), but in the end, she also lost. So, the only one from the team that still in was Sasuke and his opponent was a man with a tengu mask. Before that, Sasuke had defeated another one with a demonic sword that could easily cut the ground into half. Really, the man was very powerful but totally tactless, headed straight for the unknown, much like Naruto in his younger day. The fight was somewhat an easy win when Sasuke knew not to go anywhere near that sword.

Nevertheless, Sasuke and his team knew better than underestimating this opponent. He had cold calculating eyes, a deceptively calm demeanor and a confidence that bordering arrogance (much like a certain Uchiha). Then there was his strange stance, a classic taijutsu beginning stance with some adjustments for practical purpose. It seemed effective for both defense and offense purpose though weak, yet there was something similar to the style of fighting Gai would use, so very curious indeed. After the signal was given, the fight started. Sasuke rushed forward while went through the hand seal for Chidori, intending to end the match as quickly as possible. However, his opponent seemed to have anticipated this move. He simply side stepped then disappeared, using speed that even the Sharigan and Byakugan had trouble following and reappeared behind Sasuke, blocked his move and delivered a kick. The Uchiha was out of the stage, thus lost by the rules. Not a very satisfied match since neither of the opponents had used all their strength but judging by the ways things had been, the result might as well be the same.

Enraged and disappointed, Sasuke stalked out of the crowd, uncaring of the final matches and completely missed the announcement of the winner. He only fumed and berated himself silently when some of the villagers cheerfully gossiped that the champion was once again one Itachi Higurashi, made that four years winning in row for the Higurashi patriarch and that Kagome was one lucky lady. The other three, though, were not so fortunate. Sakura could feel her jaw went slacked the moment the champion took off his mask and presented the crown to his lady: he was none other than Itachi Uchiha. True, they had not come across each other that often, but one just not forgets Itachi, long time or not. Plus, if the expression on Naruto was not enough a testament then she didn't know what is. If it was possible, his face got paler and paler, and when everyone thought it couldn't be more bleached, it rapidly changed into a fine example of a tomato and then a balloon, until he exploded: "WHAT??"

His volume made many people instinctually covered their ears and heatedly glared at him, even though the blond didn't give a damn. He just promptly, well, fainted. Sakura felt like rolling her eyes, exasperated beyond anything. Trusted Naruto to faint like some girly girl when under a little pressure, okay, maybe not very little, but still, the point was it was just like him to faint while others expected him to let his mouth run off. Or maybe he planned on doing both. Sakura shuddered at that. Anyway, back to their main problem. On one hand, they got an emotionally unstable Sasuke, who was like an explosive tag that might blow off everyone and everything if triggered, not to mention his newly developed obsession. On the other hand, they got an ex ANBU captain gone Akatsuki who was revealed to be one of Konoha's most loyal shinobi after his supposed death, now appeared out of nowhere under a completely different identity and had a wife and a son, for God's sake. Oh and don't forget, Naruto was of no help in his delirious state. A quick glance at Neiji finalized their immediate course of action: they were going to keep quiet, make Naruto keep quiet and made sure no pictures, words or anything related to this outrageous truth reached Sasuke, at least not until they fully understood the situation. There were question that needed to be answer, too, the most important of which had to be why in seven hells Itachi was still alive? Why didn't he come back to Konoha? Why didn't he tell them who he was the moment they met? And why was his name Itachi Higurashi? Oh, and the biggest one, how the hell would the shinobi carry out their mission if things got complicated like this? Really, Sakura and Neiji started to suspect that Naruto fainted on purpose, in order to avoid the headache of their lives coming and tempted to do the same. They really did.

So caught up in their inner turmoil that the two remaining shinobi did not notice the amused twinkle in the Tsukikage's eyes. Things started to get more and more interesting, just as he thought it would the moment he granted the Konoha nin permission to gather information on their own. After all, one was bound to get bored after centuries of doing paper work and so, one had to seek some kind of entertainment, even at the expense of one's own sister. This sentiment might only be shared by one kitsune, though he preferred to keep his thoughts to himself, for the time being anyway.

_Thank you very much, minna. Please review and tell me what you think of this. _

_Thank for reviewing Kage Otome, Naturaly DISTURBED, Eriklover101, xXiforeveriXx, angelfire123, LeafeKnight7, kagome1oo, ShioriHououEmaku, __LuLuCrazeD_, _4get me not__, __ayashi77__,_ _demon prince-sesshoumaru, demonpriestess5011, MariisCa, merlyn1382, Bloodcherry, Dragon of blood, Kenjo and everyone who has put this story and me in their favourite/alert lists. Your reviews and support are greatly appreciated. I hope the second chapter didn't disappoint you._

_I'm sorry if any of you had been looking forward to the fighting scenes. I want to focus on the romance (although I might have wandered far from that path) and I'm suck at writing those scenes even though I've read my fair share of those. The same goes for lemon. So, anybody wants to guess who fought against Naruto and Neiji? Note that reiki, youki are used and they do __not__ necessarily have to come from Naruto or Inuyasha universal._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:** A miniature Sasuke, a gorgeous and conspicuous miko from a mysterious country, a depressed Uchiha, plus amnesia, believe it, you got a love triangle.

_**So, to answer those bothered to guessed who fought who in the last chap (only LuLuCrazed got it right, the others either messed the name up or found it too 'troublesome' to guess .), though I personally think that it's quite an easy question:**_

_Naruto lost to Shippo, Shippo lost to Kurama (Yu Yu Hakusho)_

_Neiji lost to Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho)_

_Kurama and Hiei's match was a draw, both were out due to exhaustion (found it too troublesome to mention)_

_Sakura fought with Sango and Miroku's descendent (who obviously carried the curse of his family)_

_Sasuke defeated Inu Yasha (this should be obvious) and lost to Itachi _

After the tournament fiasco, it was totally understandable if Neiji, Sakura and Naruto fell like a cat on hot bricks whenever the word 'mask' or 'Itachi' was mentioned. And it was with great effort did they manage to keep their dread in check when Shippo casually (and gleefully) announced that an important ball was scheduled on the night of the full moon. Their only consolidation was the fact that it was a mask ball and everyone was to keep their mask on until the end, so unless Itachi had become really clumsy over the years or fate had decided that she wanted a _bloody_ mask ball, no incident would happen and they could all happily pack their bag and go home. The mostly aware ninjas agreed to ask for an extra pay check as compensation for their shortened life due to stressful situations. Now all that left was to find a suitable costume for the upcoming ball.

Despite the very likelihood of a deadly encounter between the brothers, Sakura couldn't help but feeling giddy about the upcoming ball. She even enthusiastically volunteered to pick out the costume for the boys. And so, while Sakura and Naruto was going on a shopping spree, actually she was in a shopping spree while the latter begrudgingly trudged after her, silently cursing Neiji and Sasuke for abandoning him to a fate worse than death. Ah, what he wouldn't give for something, anything, to interfere with this shopping maniac…

Oh, spoke too soon…As soon as Naruto had completed saying the wish in his head, he saw that gorgeous raven mane of Kagome's hair and, surprise, Itachi's as well. The Higurashis were casually strolling, hand in hand if he may add, around the market, just like any normal couple. Kagome happily skipped from one stall to another looking at their goods while Itachi silently walked behind her, playing bodyguard. But the two costumes hunters was horrified to see the former insane prodigy wore a soft, hardly perceptible but still there, smile on his face and it became painstakingly clear and oh so obvious that the man were besotted. And then, when Kagome wasn't looking, he stealthily slipped away and came back a minute or so later with an ornately carved comb. Itachi gently put the present on his beautiful wife's head, barely kept his face straight at the sight of her brilliant smile and her adored expression. Looked at them, there was no way one could hope to stand a snowball chance in hell to come between them. Sadly, Sasuke didn't see them right at this moment, and if by some chance he did, it would come as a shock if the stubborn Uchiha would just willingly accept. It was this moment that Sakura really wanted to borrow Shikamaru trade mark line. How troublesome. Luckily, Itachi hadn't come to them, yet. However, just to be on the safe side…

"Konnichiwa, Higurashi san, Kagome chan," Sakura cheerfully greeted the couple.

"Konnichiwa, Sakura chan," Kagome waved back merrily, Itachi just nodded, but that was an improvement. The old Itachi wouldn't give her the time of the day.

"I thought that it was Kikyou san that does the grocery shopping?"

"We are going on costume hunting, much like you two," intoned Itachi, eyebrow raised at the pile of clothing that Naruto was trying hard to balance.

"I was, ah, in charge of the team's costume, you see," Sakura hastily explained, suddenly not very confident about her brilliant idea of approaching the couple.

"Well, Sakura is pretty excited about the upcoming ball since Konoha doesn't have this kind of festival," Naruto seemed to have caught on to Sakura's predicament and decided to come to her rescue. Maybe she would try not to hit him that hard from now on. "And it's a women's things, you know, shopping mania and all," he shrugged. Or may be not.

"Yeah, this is the first time we have come to a mask ball. Festivals in Konoha usually involve bonfires and fireworks. We are really well known for our fireworks, being the hidden village of Fire country and all. So have you been to any of our festivals, Higurashi san?"

"Just Itachi is fine. And I don't think I have, Sakura san"

"You don't think?" inquired Sakura curiously, her interest piqued.

"…" Is it just her or did Itachi seem a bit hesitant to answer her inquiry?

"Oh, would you look at the time? We have a lunch appointment with Sesshou nii-sama. We should get going or have an irritated inu youkai after our hide for the rest of the day. We hope to see you soon. And Sakura chan, you should ask someone to tell you about the interesting feature of the ball next week," Kagome suspiciously beat a hasty retreat just as Itachi was about to answer her question. There was something fishy going on and Sakura was determined to look into it. And what was that about the special feature?

It turned out that this ball was not your every day mask ball, either. It was held at the Taisho summer mansion. The males would go in from the moon gate on the west while the females from the sun gate on the east. They were to find their lover (not a very easy task with the mask on and some people even dyed their hair as well as drowned themselves in perfume just for confusing sake) and danced until midnight, when everyone had to unmask. It was said that the moment of midnight, under the bewitched moonlight, if two lovers were to passionately kissed, they would be given eternity (or at least, a sense of certainty). Dangerously romantic, especially for Sakura, who had an overactive imagination and an obsessed teammate.

And so, as the ball on its way, the Konoha nin (minus one) warily prepared themselves for whatever came their way, in growing trepidation. As such, it came as no surprise when they became extremely jumpy the morning of the ball day.

"Oh come on, you guys are shinobi, you should be able to walk faster than that," Shippo childishly whined, tugging insistently on Naruto's hands.

"Where are we going, exactly?" even the stoic Uchiha couldn't resist asking.

"To Inuyasha's house, of course. We need to get ready for the ball"

"I fail to see why we can't stay in the mansion, it's obviously big enough for a mere fitting" Neiji's lifted tone somehow made his statement came out as a question.

"Tsk tsk, didn't Kikyo tell you guys? It's a tradition for the men and women not to see each other before the ball to make it much harder to find your lover. That's why you don't need to ask anyone to be your partner, or else, as the newest eligible bachelor, you guys would be trampled to death," a shudder ran through Neiji and Sasuke, who knew too well the terror of fan girls, "and beside, do you want to stay nearby when all the females are getting ready for an formal event," this time Naruto joined in the shudder, an image of a certain pink hair girl on a shopping spree days ago popped in their minds.

"What're you standing there for? Hurry up, Shippo"

xxx

Night came, the streets were overcrowded with people hurried to the grand masquerade in the square of the village. They wore all kind of outfits, even ridiculous ones, forming a peculiar parade of sort. However, the shinobi all noticed that even though everyone's was different, some outfit looked remarkably alike and bore great similarity to…Kagome's, Inuyasha's, the Nidaime's. It was quite usual for the village leaders to be admired as such, but even his siblings?

Following their guide, the guys were led to the moon gate of the mansion. This archaic architecture was where the Nidaime and his family spent their summer time. In its entire splendor, the place was definitely built for grand occasions, with intimidating others its purpose. It was said to have been somewhat 500 years old. The mansion was tastefully designed, a perfect blend of the tradition and western style, befitting only the greatest leaders. The interior was designed opulently but not overwhelmingly, with chandeliers, carpets, intricately woven tapestries, paper door, etc… Even the surrounding garden was magnificent, complicated as a maze, filled with all kinds of exotic flower from roses to moonflowers, etc… with the citrus fragrant air and the luminescent light given off by gathering fireflies. They were led to an open, grand stair case wrapped in crimson and framed with gold which overlooked the whole ball room. There was music, laughter, beverage, food and people everywhere. Everyone came in style, from overflowing dress to yukata, from purple to green hair. There were even more pink haired girls than the guys had ever seen in their life (well, technically they had only known one in their whole life, anyway).

"So…what are we supposed to do now?" asked a confused Naruto

"Mingle. You are to mingle and find some girl to dance with. If you are lucky, she might stay and let you unmask then kiss her as midnight. But do be careful with the silver hairs, you never know if that was Sesshoumaru or a girl," his cackle grew harder when a strong youki was suddenly raised, suffocated the weaker youkai and humans in the room," well, I seemed to have found my beloved Shiori. Good luck, Sasuke"

Start at being singled out and wondered if the mischievous fox had noticed something he shouldn't have, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. However, he had no time to ponder on the kitsune's motivation for he had a girl to find. He had confidence that he could find her, no matter what color her hair was (heaven forbid if it was pink).

Immediately guessing Sasuke's intentions, the other two traded worried looks. It was decided, right then and there, at least one of them would be by his side all the time while the rest hurried to go and prevent the Higurashis from crossing his path, as well as get reinforcement, aka Sakura.

"Oi, teme, Inuyasha told me that they have the best ramen here tonight, let's go check it out" Naruto cheerfully announced.

"Dobe, why is there ramen in a formal ball?" Sasuke almost rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's obviously because Inuyasha was in charge of the menu this year, of course"

Now Sasuke did rolled his eyes. Figure that Naruto would meet a fellow ramen obsessed idiot like him and somehow that idiot is in charge of the menu. However, "unlike you, Naruto, I do not care for that junk food. Go and stuff your stomach with it for all I care, I have someone to find."

His best friend's cold reply was exactly what Naruto ad been waiting for. He immediately bristled and raised his voice, "what did you say, teme? Why, I oughta knock some manner in to you. Never insult ramen" Just as he hoped, no one paid them any attention (since at the other side of the room, Kouga and Inuyasha were also at each other's throat about one thing or another), save for one green hair girl. Exactly who he wanted, wait, what? Green hair? What the hell, it was turning out to be a ball in nightmare.

And so, in her best fan girl voice, Sakura clung to Sasuke, who was still starring incomprehensibly at the green hair: "Isn't this wonderful, Sasuke? I've never been to a ball before, lets alone a mask one. And you're here with me, isn't it fate? Why don't we go to the dance floor to celebrate this night?" Then, without waiting for his answer, she dragged him straight to the dance floor. To Neiji and Naruto, it seemed like Sakura had been under Godaime's tutelage for too long. Like teacher like student, they guessed.

And so the night dragged on like that, between Naruto's insistences on Sasuke going to sample the ramen with him and Sakura's attempts at dancing with him, Sasuke found himself unable to sneak away and look for Kagome. And his frustration came to its peak when the only two times he was able to get away from his banes of existence were foiled by Neiji. Seriously, offering to use Byakugan to search for whomever Sasuke wanted (as if an Uchiha needed help, from a Hyuuga no less) and insisting on observing the security? What did that Hyuuga think? Worse, his timing is so perfect that every time Sasuke found some one who might have been the Higurashi matriarch, Neiji came into his sight, making him lose track of her, almost immediately. It was only because he couldn't think of any reason for him, scratch that, for _them_ to act this, that Sasuke didn't pull a Mangekyou on any of the infuriating three.

Still, he smirked at the challenge. He wasn't Orochimaru's student for nothing. And it wasn't like he wouldn't be able to locate Kagome within minutes anyway, so his friend's attempt at keeping him busy was just an inconvenience. A very annoying inconvenience. And so, he patiently bid his time until a commotion occurred, successfully diverted Sakura's attention. Apparently, it had something to do with Inuyasha, Naruto and ramen. Figured. But being Sasuke, he grabbed the chance and urged Sakura to go and stop Naruto then quickly teleport himself into a dark corner of the ball room. Within minute, he found Kagome, stunning in her costume (and thankfully, still dark haired). He made a bee line towards her "May I have this dance, my lady?" and whisked her away from her companion (a tall, not overly muscular, dark haired and so very obvious a certain Itachi Higurashi).

"You know I haven't said yes, Sasuke san" she told him reproachfully, even though he could clearly heard the amused smile in her voice.

"Ah, forgive me for my haste to dance with you, my lady. Perhaps I will return you after the ball ended?" he smirked in reply.

And so they continued to twirl around and around. To Sasuke, the world became just the two of them, he felt himself lost in her eyes, blissfully unaware of the wary looks the Konoha ninjas sent his way or the pair of contemplating eyes followed his every step. And of course, he didn't notice when the grandfather clock was about to struck twelve. But someone else sure did.

"Perhaps it's time you return to Itachi's side, Kagome. He looks like he can use a rescue" Sesshoumaru suddenly stated, effectively startled Sasuke for he didn't even sense the youkai approach. Looking over where they had left Kagome's companion, Sasuke had a strong sense of déjà vu, a hordes of fan girls, as young as 12 years old to the not so young of 40 years old mother, are surrounded Itachi, under he the pretense of congratulations on the championship. Any doubt that Itachi Higurashi was in fact Itachi Uchiha promptly fled from Sasuke's head for he was sure if it had been his brother, none would dare to approach. _The_ Itachi looked positively frightened, appropriately cornered and reasonably pitiful (Sasuke conveniently forgot that once upon a time, he was in the same predicament). His amusement was short lived when Kagome signed and said in wry acceptance: "Well, I'd better go and reestablish my claim, although I don't see why don't you just go and use your go-or-die glare on them. That'd save me a lot trouble"

"Hmm, this Sesshoumaru has no intention of mingling with those scatterbrain idiots and let them bother this Sesshoumaru with their inane rambling"

"In other word, that Sesshoumaru is also intimidated by the almighty and invincible power of fangirls and prefer to let this Kagome's mate deal with them instead. Wait…don't tell me you led them to Itachi to get rid of them…" his smug expression was more tan enough to tell her the answer

"Dear sister, it's near midnight. Unless you one all of them jump on your mate and try to kiss him, this Sesshoumaru suggests you going now" he smirked, unconcerned to one irritated shinobi, whose plan had gone awry.

"Jerk" mumbled an annoyed Kagome, but she suddenly smiled an angelic smile that Sasuke had seen on Sakura's face one too many time and said in a loud voice "Oh, be careful Fluffy, Kagura can't be here due to her pregnancy, your admirers might use this once in a lifetime chance to steal a kiss"

If it was possible, the already pale Taiyoukai became paler and…was that panic just flashed in his eyes? Nonetheless, the damage (or rescue, depended on who you asked) was done. The fangirls halted their (successful) attempts to harass a Higurashi and started to approach a suddenly-appeared-at-the other-end-of-the-ballroom Nidaime. Amused at the sibling tactics and sympathized with the terror the Taiyoukai was forced to endure, Sasuke turned to look at the Higurashi couple, resigned to the fact that he had lost the golden opportunity to charm a woman, determined to keep pursuing and follow the motto "what an Uchiha wants he gets", he was completely caught off guard by what he saw. The hand of the grandfather clock reaching twelve, his teammates running towards him with a rarely seen urgent look, none of those fact registered in a stunned, shocked and possibly traumatized Uchiha Sasuke, whose world seemed to crash down on him the moment a mask was unfastened. Yes, Higurashi Itachi, formerly known as Uchiha Itachi, had unmasked. And the thought to be dead hero of Konoha was currently kissing his mate, totally oblivious of the myriad of emotions flitting across his younger brother's eyes.

Naruto, Sakura and Neiji groaned to themselves. A storm is coming their way and none of them was ready for it. Why didn't they stay in bed that day, what'd possessed them to get up and accept the mission from Godaime, escorting a dear friend home or not? It's certainly not worth the trouble. Now, it's high time for damage control. It was turning out to be a mask ball from hell after all.

_Thank you very much, minna. Please review and tell me what you think of this. _

_Thank for reviewing LeafeKnight7, angel22558, Valleygoat, eloquent dreams, Sugar0o, Bloodcherry, MariisCa, LuLuCrazeD, gaarapanda5, merlyn1382, Eriklover101, Kagome Miko207 (x2), Kealyn-chan and everyone who has put this story and me in their favourite/alert lists. Your reviews and support are greatly appreciated. _

_**LuLuCrazeD:**__ Well, since this is a NarIY fanfic, I don't think Kurama or Hiei is going to appear again, but one should never say never, neh?_

_**Merlyn1382:**__ To answer you question, the girls could participate (Sakura being the example), but Kagome chose not to. And where would the story go if Sasuke was beaten by Kagome? His Uchiha pride would suffer and poor Naruto might have more worry line (that's disturbing). Beside, there was no point competing when she had her champion, neh ^^ _


End file.
